School Projects on Agriculture

By Paisley Parmer

Rows of farmland

There are many subtopics related to the study of agriculture that lend themselves to projects that students in a class can complete together or even as a school wide project. Programs such as the Future Farmers of America, 4-H Club and Life Lab provide educators with the resources, tools and even the funding through grants for their students to complete the projects.

Agricultural Mechanics Design and Fabrication

To coincide with school lessons on agricultural mechanics design and fabrication, work with the school principal and district to fund an on-site animal housing or a greenhouse at your school. Incorporate the students into the project with lessons on fundamental designs needed for these structures to function properly. The students, ideally at the high school level, could also be placed into teams or work as classes to develop their own plan and model for the agriculture structure that will be built. The winning design would then be built in conjunction with contractors after consultations with local workers in the agricultural design field.

Vegetable and Fruit Production

Grow a school garden with vegetables and fruits for your school agricultural project to provide students with a lesson not only in the production process but also in the importance of sustainable agriculture. The garden can be integrated into the school's lunch program, providing fresh produce while teaching the students about how the products from the field make it into the food system. Additionally, a school garden as an agricultural project gives teachers the opportunity to cover a wide range of topics during instruction -- from the physical properties of soil and plants for kindergartners to the evolution of the living organisms in the garden for fifth-graders.

Environmental Science

Allowing students to collaborate and create a composting system can teach them about the relationship between environmental science and agriculture. After devising a composting system, they can use the composted material to fertilize plants, trees and gardens on the school grounds, putting their hard work to use. The composting project provides teachers the opportunity to cover lessons on the properties of soil and how organisms like the earthworm break compost down and provide benefits to the soil.

About the Author

A full-time home educator and mother, Paisley Parmer is a Central Florida native. Parmer writes education-related articles with forays into travel and family-related topics. Her work has been published on various websites.